Vesper

I see Moisés Caicedo or Nicolò Barella (very hard pull) as more of a like for like replacement. IF we are going to make a big money move for Barella, then next summer is close to the last (certainly 2024 will be THE last) I can approve of the outlay. Barella turns 27 in the middle of next season. That means (if we bought him next summer) only 3 full sub 30yo seasons left. If we bought him in summer 2024, then only left. That shakes out to only 5 prime seasons MAX, and if we take him in 2023, then 4 MAX, and the final season of that 4 or 5 (when he turns 31yo) he will be older than Kante was last year (Kante has had injury issues starting in 2019/20, when he missed half the games). Barella tosses his body around like a madman, like Kante does, so I can project out that he may also start to have injury issues as well once he turns 30 or so.

he has had some monster games, but simply cannot stay healthy

I think he will leave on a free when he is fit, he is still an extraordinary player (I grudgingly admit that Sarri did transform and broaden his game) who vastly improves us, BUT he is fairly unlikely to stay fit for a full season ever again, he is out injured yet again as I type this

He’s a boy with poison in his backside 😦

a great young manager to watch Matthias Jaissle

Can I get 'decimated' by getting paid £140-150m over a 2 year span? LOLOL Plus we are selling them them good young players on the cheap, and loaning them Colwill (perhaps selling him to them if he doesn't pan out at a Chels level)

Chalk and cheese for me, Caicedo is a much different type of player than Zakaria. For me, Caicedo is more like Barella than Zakaria. Zakaria is the one who (I will do a fortnight of dancing if this happens) could put paid to us having to (well choosing to) plonk down £130-150m for Rice.

Chelsea boss Graham Potter has already unearthed perfect N'Golo Kante replacement Chelsea are set to back Graham Potter with the signing of another midfield in the January transfer window... https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1667853/Chelsea-news-Graham-Potter-N-Golo-Kante-replacement-Moises-Caicedo-Brighton Chelsea boss Graham Potter won't have to look far should he wish to find a long-term replacement for N'Golo Kante at Stamford Bridge. The destructive World Cup-winning midfielder was once considered untouchable in west London but with contract discussions yet to reach a successful conclusion, there is every chance the Blues may have to consider what life will be like without their relentless 31-year-old. In truth, Kante has not been able to offer the full package in recent times under Thomas Tuchel due to his questionable fitness record, which appears to suggest the hard yards are finally taking their toll on his body and legs. That said, Kante remains an integral player to Chelsea and he is one they would undoubtedly like to keep at the club. With his current deal due to expire at the end of the season, the Blues will have to act fast before he is free to sign with foreign clubs on a pre-contract agreement in January. While unquestionably, Kante would be a devastating loss for the Blues, there is one player well known to new head coach Potter that has the quality and capability to fill any void left behind. Moises Caicedo has taken the Premier League by storm since breaking into the Brighton first-team earlier this year and now he looks set to make the Seagulls another killing in transfer fees. Potter may have caused himself his own problems though should Chelsea wish to push ahead with a move - either in January or further down the line. He recently said amid reports in South America of a £42.5million bid from Liverpool: “I think you’d probably get his boots for that, maybe, knowing the chairman! It’s not for me to talk about. It is what it is.” Brighton know how to play the game - perhaps better than anyone on English shores. They secured a £50m premium for Ben White when selling the England international to Arsenal in 2021 before encouraging Chelsea to pay £62m for Marc Cucurella. Chelsea know that if they are to firm up their interest, Caicedo will certainly not come cheap. Particularly given this would be Potter raiding his former club. Yet he knows better than anyone that the 20-year-old is destined for stardom. What he is currently doing - is not normal for someone of his age, who has just moved across the world away from his family to pursue his dreams. Potter added: “It doesn’t surprise me that people are looking at him because he is playing at a fantastic level. "As soon as you do research on him you realise he is a top kid, great person, young, playing in the Premier League, has all the attributes to play at the very, very highest level. "But we know the position he is in and we know the position the club are in, which is why we don’t want to lose him.” Caicedo can do it all. He's an all-action midfielder who can affect the game at both ends of the pitch. He will break up play in his own half and also has the ability to finish when required - as seen in the 5-2 win over Leicester. Kante's role at Chelsea has very much changed in the past three or four years since Maurizio Sarri began to play him further up the field. At Leicester and in his first few seasons at Chelsea, the France international was effectively operating as an extra layer of protection for the defence. Now Kante has been given more of a license to get forward, although his main strength remains winning back the ball and moving it forward with simple passes for others to do the damage. That is Caicedo's game to a tee but he is already proving there is much more to his game in an attacking sense having netted two Premier League goals in just 14 outings. In Potter and Tuchel's 3-4-3 system, the central midfielders need to be well-rounded in order to succeed as they're fundamental cogs in the system. Chelsea are currently lacking standout performers in that department. Jorginho flatters to deceive while Mateo Kovacic cannot seem to stay fit. Kante has also been experiencing similar problems. Chelsea need some fresh blood in that department and they are expected to push ahead with the signing of a midfielder when the January window opens - despite signing Denis Zakaria on loan from Juventus. Before his sacking, Tuchel hinted Kante may have to lower his salary demands in order to remain at Chelsea, who have placed a competitive offer on the table. Tuchel said: "You have to consider everything that is on the table. And on the table is his potential, on the table is his influence and his quality. “But on the table of course is his age, his salary and his injury rate, of course. From there you build a whole picture and try to find a solution.” Should Chelsea be unable to find a solution - Caicedo could prove to be the answer. Prising him away from the Amex will not prove easy though. It could now take silly money.

of course they have weak points their fullbacks I would lose my mind if we had this lot: Marcos Alonso Left-Back Dec 28, 1990 (31) Jordi Alba Left-Back Mar 21, 1989 (33) rinsed, no matter what 10 million Barca fanbois squeal and bleat Álex Balde Left-Back Oct 18, 2003 (18) (he is their main hope at LB, and is only 18 atm) Héctor Bellerín Right-Back Mar 19, 1995 (27) never remotely the same after his horrid knee injury Sergi Roberto Right-Back Feb 7, 1992 (30) and they have only a 21yo and a 23yo with almost no experience for back up keeper if ter Stegen goes down they are fucked

it was far more than that, to reduce it to that as the main reason is just silly have you been watching our offence for ages?

I absolutely approve of this, he would be a great signing

Vanderson would make a great back-up RB

Most people whingeing on rarely give a list of alternative candidates that can then be debated. I am very happy with the Potter pick. No Spudsboy Poch.

Chelsea eye Josko Gvardiol as Graham Potter's first signing https://www.espn.co.uk/football/blog-transfer-talk/story/4742668/transfer-talk-Chelsea-eye-josko-gvardiol-as-graham-potters-first-signing TOP STORY: Chelsea to try again for RB Leipzig's Joško Gvardiol After failing to secure a deal for RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol this summer, Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Chelsea will make another attempt for the 20-year-old in the winter transfer window, as shared by Bild's Christian Falk. The Blues reportedly offered up to €90 million for the Croatia international, who instead signed a one-year extension to remain in Germany. However, Gvardiol is tipped to become the first signing of Graham Potter, who replaced Thomas Tuchel at the helm on Thursday. Chelsea have already acquired the services of Kalidou Koulibaly and Wesley Fofana in central defence this summer. Still, the west London side are set to reapproach the centre-back in January and implore him to reconsider a move to the Premier League. The young defender, who made 29 Bundesliga appearances last season, could have a long-term future at Stamford Bridge, with Thiago Silva set to turn 38 years old this month.

he is a big boy and a professional, he will get over it as soon as that first paycheque hits his bank account

next weekend too???? wth Premier League, WSL and EFL weekend games off but other sports to continue Cricket Test and Wentworth golf to resume on Saturday Rugby league to go ahead as St Leger racing is moved https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/sep/09/sport-football-weekend-fixtures-queen-government Football was increasingly looking like an outlier on Friday after its decision to postpone all weekend matches following the Queen’s death proved sharply at odds with most other major sports. While Test cricket, the PGA championship golf and Premiership rugby opted to return to play on Saturday, the Premier League, English Football League and the four Football Associations in Britain and Northern Ireland cancelled all games as a mark of respect. The Premier League said its decision had come after a meeting of its clubs in which tributes were paid to the Queen. “To honour her extraordinary life and contribution to the nation, and as a mark of respect, this weekend’s Premier League match round will be postponed, including Monday evening’s game,” it said. Similar statements were released by the EFL and FA. However supporters’ groups and former players have questioned whether the cancellations – which also means the Women’s Super League will not start as scheduled and grassroots matches will not be played, except in Scotland – was the best way to honour the Queen. The Football Supporters’ Association said that many fans would feel that “this was an opportunity missed for football to pay its own special tributes”. “Our view, which we shared with the football authorities, is that most supporters would have liked to go to games this weekend and pay their respect to the Queen alongside their fellow fans,” it added. The former England defender Gary Neville also suggested the decision had been a mistake, saying: “Sport can demonstrate better than most the respect the Queen deserves.” Football’s announcement came despite guidance from the government at two meetings on Thursday night and Friday morning, in which sporting bodies were told there was no obligation to postpone fixtures during the official mourning period. Insiders have suggested that a fear of negative headlines played a part in football’s decision, along with a wish by some to postpone games out of respect for Prince William, who is the president of the Football Association. Most other sports took the view that it was better to honour the Queen’s life at packed stadiums, bringing people together in tribute. The RFU said it had decided to allow rugby union to carry on this weekend after consulting a wide range of people. “The overwhelming opinions shared so far are that teams and supporters want to come together to honour Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, to be united in our grief as we express sorrow at her passing,” a statement said. “Rugby, at its heart, is about community and bringing people together, in good times and in sad. Rugby clubs are a source of strength and support during times of uncertainty, and we hope that by enabling games and other rugby activity to go ahead this weekend, with families and friends congregating, it will help us to unite at this time of national mourning.” England’s third Test against South Africa will also resume on Saturday, with players and coaches wearing black armbands and a minute’s silence being held before the start. However the prospect of an extra day’s play to make up for the loss of Friday’s action ended when South Africa said they had to fly home on Tuesday. The England and Wales Cricket Board also confirmed that the sport at all levels would continue “to pay tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and honour her remarkable life and service”. Golf’s BMW International at Wentworth will also resume, although it will be reduced to a 54-hole tournament, and rugby league’s Super League playoffs will go ahead. Elsewhere Saturday’s St Leger at Doncaster has been pushed back to Sunday, when a nine-race card will be staged to ensure that Britain’s oldest Classic and other important In a statement explaining its decision organisers said: “The event has traditionally been a celebration of the extraordinary achievements of ordinary people, this year it will be an opportunity for us to come together and express our condolences, while celebrating the life of our extraordinary Queen. “The thousands of runners taking part are expected to raise an estimated £25m in much needed charitable donations, a fitting tribute to the Queen, who lived her life in the service of our country and its people.” However another major grassroots event, the Richmond Runfest, was forced to postpone its marathon and other races as it went through two locations owned in part by Historic Royal Palaces. “This weekend was to be a celebration of months of training, fundraising and personal dedication,” it said in a statement. “However it is with broken hearts that we are having to postpone.” races lost as a result of the cancellations can take place. The fixture scheduled for Musselburgh racecourse on Sunday will be cancelled as a mark of respect for the fact that the Queen’s body will be lying in rest in Edinburgh. In boxing the highly anticipated bout between Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall for the undisputed world middleweight championship has been postponed until 15 October. Meanwhile, organisers of Sunday’s Great North Run, which has 60,000 entrants, confirmed the historic half marathon would take place as planned.

Fuck the press, and especially Drunky Merson and Robbie Sheep Shagger Savage trying to sack shame us on Tuchel whilst big-upping fucking Manure showing 'patience' with ten Hag, and how Man U is now a steamroller and a (this is INSANE) a much better run club than Chels!! lol cunts lost for the first time at home in the Europa League since over 10 years ago and for the first time ever to Real Sociedad Mikel Merino is a monster CMF

Brighton will be fine, they still have all their human infrastructure in place, apart from Potter

I wonder is he is actually older than his documents say easy to fake shit in Senegal

Graham Potter: New Chelsea boss makes four player demands of Todd Boehly as agreement is reached https://www.teamtalk.com/Chelsea/graham-potter-new-Chelsea-boss-makes-four-player-demands-of-todd-boehly-as-agreement-is-reached Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has reportedly agreed to four major Graham Potter demands after a deal to install him as new Blues boss was finalised. The 47-year-old is the man chosen by Boehly to replace Thomas Tuchel, after his sacking on Wednesday. The new Blues owner has called time on Tuchel’s reign just a matter of months after he bought out Roman Abramovich. The axe fell on Tuchel after a disappointing run of form that culminated in a woeful 1-0 Champions League defeat at Dinamo Zagreb. However, there were clearly other circumstances surrounding Tuchel’s demise beyond their poor run of form. Indeed, a report on Wednesday suggests a disagreement over the transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo was also a lingering issue. It seems Boehly and Tuchel were regularly at loggerheads on a series of transfer issues. Despite that, Boehly – who also backed up as a stand-in sporting director – backed Tuchel to the tune of £253m. But with the axe now falling, the Blues quickly turned to Potter, with agreement over compensation quickly reached. Potter has since travelled to London to meet with Boehly and his fellow Chelsea directors. And it’s widely reported that an agreement to make him their new manager has now been reached. In order to facilitate the move, however, Potter reportedly asked Boehly for four conditions to be met. First up, he reportedly wants guarantees that he will have the final say so on January transfers and beyond. He wants more than an active say in the players that Chelsea sign; something it is claimed his predecessors did not have. And Potter – once appointed – is expected to have an active role in contract negotiations. The Blues recently extended the stay of Reece James. Chelsea four set for Graham Potter contract negotiations However, there are a quartet of other stars currently locked in talks over contract renewals with the club. To that end, Fabrizio Romano claims on his YouTube channel that he also wants an active say in such discussions. To that end, Mason Mount, Jorginho, N’Golo Kante and Edouard Mendy are among the players currently talking over fresh terms. Indeed, while Potter does not want to get into the finer details of the negotiations, he does want to have a say over their roles and importance to Chelsea going forwards. To that end, he will a say in over how long their terms ought to be. In addition, Potter has also been told he is fine to remain living in his family’s base in Hove. While a longer commute, it’s certainly not an unachievable drive and that is thought to be a big factor in the negotiations. Furthermore, Potter also sought guarantees on the security of his job at Chelsea. He is currently sat on a relatively safe position with Brighton. Moving to Chelsea brings with it a whole heap of added pressures. It is for that reason why one pundit is advising Potter to avoid the Chelsea ‘snake pit’. However, he’s reportedly been assured by Boehly that he will be given time to put his mark on the club and run the football side of things as he sees fit. Length of Potter deal revealed As such, Potter has reportedly said his goodbyes to the Brighton players on Thursday morning. He took no part in first-team training on Thursday morning at their Lancing training ground complex. He was there for around two hours to gather his things and say his goodbyes. The Solihull-born manager has now arrived at Cobham where an announcement on his appointment is imminent. He will reportedly sign a five-year deal at the Blues, tying him down as manager until 2027. It’s certainly a massive call from Boehly and the Blues board. Having furnished the club with several expensive signings this summer, questions have already been raised over his regime. The speed of the sacking of Tuchel, as well as the appointment of Potter will raise further eyebrows. And Boehly’s reputation at Chelsea will very much tie in with the success of Potter. If he becomes a success, that will reflect well on the American. But were Graham Potter fail to match Chelsea’s high standards, fingers will be pointed in the owner’s direction.

Boehly and Clearlake promised change at Chelsea – Tuchel’s sacking shows they are just as ruthless https://theathletic.com/3572525/2022/09/07/Chelsea-boehly-tuchel-firing/ Chelsea were supposed to have changed. The ruthlessness that typified the Roman Abramovich regime, when a stodgy stretch of results would render even the most decorated of head coaches a dead man walking, was meant to be a thing of the past. The club had moved on under new ownership and, the bold suggestion went, would be doing things differently now. The onus was on building a new era of success at Stamford Bridge after the £2.5billion ($2.86bn) change of hands this summer and, to give them the best possible chance of achieving that lofty ambition, they would lean on one of the few world-class assets they had inherited: a Champions League-winning head coach. A figure whose pedigree was established and who had steered the club and team through the tumult of last season with dignity and no little class. A coach who gave them an edge. Instead, just over three months after the completion of a horribly complicated takeover forced through in unique and distinctly fraught political conditions, we find ourselves here again. Thomas Tuchel has been sacked, cast aside after six largely spluttering displays in the Premier League and an anaemic defeat last night in the opening Champions League group fixture. Chelsea have appeared listless on the pitch, under-performing far too often, with the figure who should have been inspiring them left looking helpless, even haunted, on the sidelines. A pale shadow of his former self. We are back in familiar territory, with members of the Chelsea hierarchy wearing those grim expressions and dismal tidings to deliver to the man in charge of the team. The club’s new owners have reacted to a perceived drop in standards, just as their predecessor always did. Tuchel’s 19-month tenure amounted to a century of games in all competitions, one glorious night in Porto, Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup victories to keep the trophy cabinet well stocked, and three near-misses in the two domestic cups. He steered Chelsea to finishing fourth in the 2020-21 Premier League, hoisting the side out of the mid-season slump endured under predecessor Frank Lampard. They were third last time, 19 points off the champions for a second year running and with too much of the football disappointingly turgid even if, in tricky circumstances, securing a top-three position and reaching both domestic cup finals was largely to be applauded. Abramovich may have been distant, an owner only ever encountered on foreign fields amid ticker-taped success, but Tuchel enjoyed working with Marina Granovskaia and Petr Cech. Then came the change in ownership, a new dawn and, for Tuchel, the beginning of the end. “I didn’t see it coming,” the German had offered through a deflated monotone in his post-match media conference at the Maksimir Stadium on Tuesday night, an admission he would parrot over the course of his briefing. “Obviously I was in the wrong movie. I did not see that coming… That’s why I’m angry with myself. I did not see that coming.” He was referring to his team’s slack performance in losing 1-0 to Dinamo Zagreb. As it turned out, doubts had apparently been growing over the certainty of his position among the co-controlling owners, Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, well ahead of the trip to Croatia. Relations had been strained over the last few weeks. Tuchel was on borrowed time regardless of his side’s first Champions League result. The defeat in Zagreb may have come as a shock but, in reality, the now ex-head coach did not know the half of it. It has not taken long for matters to veer off-piste for Chelsea’s brave new world. Back at the start of the summer, there were real hopes within the new ownership group that Tuchel would provide the much-needed stability and continuity as the club ventured into uncharted territory. Boehly and his fellow co-controlling owners knew they were learning their roles on the hoof. They wanted to lean on the head coach’s knowledge and experience and did not envisage maintaining the (financially) costly hire-and-fire culture for which Chelsea had become renowned back when compensation payouts stacked up higher than silverware. Dave Roberts, manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team in which Boehly owns a stake via Guggenheim Baseball Management, has been in charge since 2016 and recently signed a three-year contract extension that will keep him in place to 2025. A different sport, admittedly, but Roberts has retained the owner’s faith through good and bad times. At Chelsea there was, and still is, that same desire for longevity. Yet the ownership and management at Stamford Bridge did not know whether they could work together. These were characters flung together abruptly by circumstance — a relatively rapid sale of an elite club forced to compete for three months under sanctions related to Russian businessman Abramovich and his homeland’s invasion of Ukraine. They were figures balancing long-term and immediate needs while playing catch-up in the summer transfer market, watching the few clubs above them in last season’s final table strengthen and those at their shoulder potentially progressing apace. Boehly-Clearlake, having understandably chosen to dispense with the chairman Bruce Buck and Granovskaia, and with Cech opting to leave, undertook a crash course in football club ownership with no experienced sporting director in place to guide strategy. They asked a head coach, a man who would have been affected by the upheaval since March and was also enduring difficulties in his private life, to offer input in areas he might normally have preferred others to supervise. This was something Tuchel admitted was “not my favourite thing to do” even if he reluctantly accepted he had to embrace a responsibility never granted to any of his recent Chelsea predecessors. Now the club find themselves in the vaguely ludicrous situation of feeling compelled to make a change in the dugout while some of the players Tuchel had championed as signings, personnel conditioned with his tactical approach in mind amid a £250million summer spend, are still bedding into their new surroundings. Tuchel had made clear his desire to work with Raheem Sterling, “our No 1 priority in the market” and a player he was convinced would spice up a misfiring forward line. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who had thrived under the German at Borussia Dortmund from 2015-17 and was eager to renew acquaintances, has barely unpacked since arriving from Barcelona last week. What must he be feeling to find the familiar face apparently instrumental in luring him back to London sacked within days of the closure of the transfer window? It will be up to a new head coach to ensure they do not remain unsettled for long. Ultimately, Chelsea’s new owners have quickly discovered what Abramovich had long since learned: as soon as the relationship between head coach and hierarchy is perceived to have broken down, there is no recovery. Tuchel is a coach whose lofty reputation is justified, but his mood had turned sour. The sparkle and energy that had typified his first 10 months in charge had rather dimmed. He appeared unsettled, distant, on edge. The new board could point to performances dipping too regularly this calendar year, albeit with mitigating circumstances given what was happening off-field, as a worrying trend. They spied strain between the coach and some of his players. More significant were their concerns over whether they could work with Tuchel towards longer-term goals and successes. Abramovich did occasionally let things linger. Claudio Ranieri, Carlo Ancelotti, Antonio Conte, Maurizio Sarri and even Avram Grant all saw out campaigns fearing the inevitably of their lot before change was eventually instigated. Jose Mourinho may have left, first time round, in September 2007 but the first cracks in that schism had taken hold over the preceding 18 months at least. The Russian oligarch was always more decisive when he feared top-four status, and the Champions League qualification that came with it, was threatened — as Luiz Felipe Scolari, Andre Villas-Boas, Roberto Di Matteo, Mourinho (second time around) and Lampard discovered to their cost. That strategy, while expensive, helped maintain Chelsea’s status at the top table of European football. Although it is too early to know whether their current team’s position in the pecking order is seriously threatened, the signs in these first weeks of the new season were not promising. “At the moment, everything is missing,” Tuchel had admitted in Croatia, hours before the axe fell. It did not bode well that the unity between ownership and management had become so fractured. Boehly-Clearlake may not have wanted to follow suit, to mimic what others always decried as Abramovich’s lack of patience but, after 100 days in charge, reality bit early. The new Chelsea, whether reluctantly or not, are as ruthless as ever.

I normally am not a big pusher of this angle/excise/justification (non-sussed-in ignorance of inner workings), BUT we really do not know what was going on between Tuchel and the board/ownership

agreed his newness, tactic-wise, helped win the CL, we were novel and unpredictable, and had many players stepped up all at once at the right time but the league soon sussed us out, and we made a disasterclass buy (one of many over the past 7, 8 years) in Donkeykaku (and failed to buy Tchou) and then we also lost the beating soul of the team for this season when Rudiger left (I am more enraged now that more details have come out about that whole mess, it was Marina's parting gift)

Leandro Trossard is a left winger (Sterling, and the perhaps gone Pulisic) who turns 29yo next fall Mount is shit at winger, he only plays well when he is a MFer, and not in a double pivot, where he is shit too Potter needs to unfuck him amd quick, he has been shambolic this season